Bad Communication
by delicate.desires
Summary: The last requirement Sakura needed to have in order to be accepted into the Akatsuki was to successfully perform the communication technique. An accident occurs, causing all the Akatsuki members to become chibi. Akatsuki x Sakura
1. Abandonment

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Title: Bad Communication  
Summary: The last requirement Sakura needed to have in order to be accepted into the Akatsuki was to successfully perform the communication technique. An accident occurs, causing all the Akatsuki members to become chibi. Akatsuki x Sakura  
Time-period: Before Orochimaru, Sasori, or any oof the other Akatsuki died.

Rating is M just in case. And because there's probably going to be a lot of swearing from Hidan.

* * *

Streams of tears cascaded down my cheeks as I carefully, and as gently as I could, touched their cold, pale faces.

"Mom, dad..." I murmured. They looked so peaceful, so serene. I let out a single sob, quickly covering my mouth as I did so. I hadn't been able to say good bye to them. I should have told them how much I loved them, at least once every single day. I should have given them hugs and kisses on the cheeks every time I came home from a mission. I should have visited them more often, and sent them letters while I was away.

But I hadn't. I had been like every other teenager in the village, trying to be cool. Now I didn't even have a choice. I wouldn't be able to eat my mother's delicious home-cooked meals, or have my dad show me neat ninja tricks like he had always done since the Academy days. They wouldn't be there giving me hugs when I broke up with a boyfriend, or giving me advice on growing up. They were _gone_, and it was just so hard to believe.

I had been away on a stupid healing mission, and when I came back I had received countless stares. Mostly pity from what I can remember. I became quite irritated, after asking everybody what was wrong. They refused to answer and so I simply stormed up to Tsunade's office demanding an explanation. She had offered me a bottle of sake, which I refused, and then sat me down.

When she had given me the news I wasn't sure what to think. My parents, the two people who have always been there for me, who I could _always_ rely on, were now no longer in my life. I let out another sob as I laid down two roses- one in each casket. I turned to go back to my seat, my head bent low. I knew everybody was looking at me- the daughter of the deceased.

They were my only family left. I knew of no one else related to me.

I sniffled a bit as I walked to my seat. Why did they have to die during that mission? It was too dangerous for them. They should have just retired, knowing just how short the expected lifespans are for those in this profession. I was being selfish, and completely hypocritical, but I didn't care. I wanted them back so badly it hurt. I was thinking of applying to become an ANBU member next week, but now I wasn't so sure I'd be able to make it.

I was planning on surprising them if I had made it in. I was _also_ planning to make them proud. Not that I had any trouble doing that, anyways. They had always been proud of me, even when I was younger; when I was so despicably _weak_. They had always cheered me on, and kept me going. They were always so supportive, and whenever I did fail, they'd encourage me to persevere.

"Sakura." I heard Kakashi murmur. He placed a hand on my shoulder in comfort and all I wanted to do just then was cry out from the suffocating pressure I felt deep within my chest. I wanted to sob and clutch onto him, onto _anyone_, and just cry my heart out. I wanted to cry all the pain away until I was numb, until my eyes were red and puffy and dried out. I wanted to just lie there and let everything out at once. I wanted... _I wanted my parents back_.

I felt like I did when I was a child. Weak, pathetic, completely useless. I wanted to be strong. What had happened to the secure, confident woman I was just a few days earlier? The one who had just finished her apprenticeship with Tsunade and had become a jounin about a year before? Everybody was expecting _her_, but all _I_ really wanted to do was lie on my bed and cry.

I shrugged off Kakashi's hand, trying not to seem too rude about it. I didn't want his comfort right now- any longer and I would've succumbed to being a grieving wreck. I needed to stop crying in order to be strong. For me. For mom. For dad. They were _counting_ on me to be strong and move on. I wiped my eyes with a black handkerchief and sat quietly, watching as many other people went up to pay respect for my parents.

When the funeral and the burial finally ended, I immediately got up and left. I needed to be alone, and fast. My speed increased as I continued walking, soon turning into a jog. Eventually I was sprinting towards the forest, chakra enhanced legs and everything. I looked back to see if anybody had followed me, and fortunately for me, nobody had. At least they were able to figure out I needed to be alone for a while.

When I was deep into the forest, I collapsed on the ground, trembling violently. I looked up at the bright, blue sky, and wondered why it wasn't raining. It was as if the skies were mocking me, teasing me with the bright rays and unwanted light. When the pain was no longer bearable, I started to sob, wrapping my arms around myself for comfort. Why did they have to leave me? The two of my most precious people.

After almost an hour of continuous crying, I forced myself up and trudged through the forest. I stopped by a stream and watched as the water flowed gently over the rocks and sand. I kicked off my shoes and dipped my feet in the water, surprised it wasn't that cold. The sun was shining brightly and the water was lukewarm. It _could _have been a perfect day.

I sat on a rock with my feet in the water for a couple of minutes before deciding it would be best if I headed back. I shook my feet, drying it out as best as I could, and then slipped on my shoes and got up. When I lifted my foot to take a step, the appendage accidentally got caught between two stones, and I immediately grabbed onto the first thing I could reach, which happened to be a tree branch. I steadied myself and tried pulling my foot out of the small crack it had become snagged in.

Before I could channel any chakra and use my super strength, I felt a sudden explosion of pain on the hand currently grabbing the branch. When I looked up at it, I saw a snake latched on, its fangs dug deeply into my palm. I felt the poison being pumped into me, and I immediately started feeling weak. The poison... It was fast-reacting. I didn't have the energy or the time to heal myself and I quickly let go of the branch, causing me to stumble forwards.

The last thing I saw before I fell completely unconscious was the snake taking its fangs out and slithering away. Could this day get any worse?

I laughed at myself inwardly,

_at least my foot had come loose._

* * *

I felt like groaning but my lips nor tongue could move. I tried opening my eyes but my attempt was fruitless- I couldn't see, and if the painful squeezing in my lungs signified anything, I could barely breathe, either. What was going on? Was I really _dead_? Had the poison affected me that much? I inwardly cringed at the possibility. Maybe I truly was dead, trapped in some sort of hell.

I berated myself for even thinking such a horrid thought- it was impossible! The snake had been too small to inject enough poison into me to cause me to _die._ I've studied venom and poisons, and I've never heard of any that would threaten a life of a shinobi whose body had a natural reaction to counteract anything harmful that entered its body. Medical ninjutsu really came in handy.

Suddenly the soft sound of the stream water running snapped me out of my current thoughts. I could still hear, but only slightly. I could also tell that it was somewhat cold and that it was raining as well. I wondered why I could barely hear a thing, but I figured it was probably because of the snake's venom. Its effect on my nerves was astounding and nearly unbelievable.

"Sakura-chan! _Sakura-chan_!"

I heard someone yelling. It was so light, so _faint_. I couldn't recognize the voice, but I felt someone shake me. Was it Naruto? Had he found me? I tried to move, even if it was slightly, just so that the person would know I was alive and well.

"Sai! Kakashi-sensei! I found her, she's here but she's not doing so good!" I heard him declare. If I had been able to move, a giant smile would have graced my face at that moment. I knew it _had_ to be Naruto.

"This is where she's been? This entire week? She isn't even that far from Konoha! Why hadn't anybody found her?" Naruto exclaimed, sounding somewhat incredulous. If I could have, I would have gaped. I was passed out for an entire week? I tried to focus on my stomach, wondering why I wasn't hungry or thirsty. I came to the conclusion that I was... _Paralyzed_, in a way. I made a quick scan of my body using what little chakra I had left, and found that my senses weren't functioning properly, not to mention that my heartbeat was remarkably weak.

"Why is ugly so pale?" I could hear Sai ask. The nerve of that boy, calling me ugly and hag all the time- although I probably did look pretty bad at the moment. I could barely feel the two fingers pressed against my neck, searching for a pulse. Nonetheless, I felt a slight pressing feeling in the side of my neck. Ten seconds passed by, the usual amount to check a person's pulse, but their fingers stayed.

A small feeling of panic shot through me. They _had_ to find the pulse! It was there. I wasn't dead just yet. My body would heal itself eventually. They couldn't believe that I was dead, could they?

"Sakura-chan... She's not breathing... And her pulse, I can't feel it!" I heard Naruto exclaim. His voice was starting to rise, and it sounded as if he was starting to panic as well as he continued to talk.

"Sensei! Do something! She can't die! Not yet!" I heard him declare. I felt my already broken heart break into more pieces at the sound of his pained voice. He sounded so worried, and all because of _me_. Because I was careless enough to get bitten by a stupid, yet extremely poisonous snake.

I've learned _my_ lesson.

I felt Kakashi's strong hands on my chest, pressing down about two inches as he gave me compressions. He was giving me CPR, but I didn't need it. I was _fine_, really! All I had to do was rest a few more days. I could feel the fingers on my neck again, and the faintest feeling of warm raindrops.

Strange, really. Since when was rain warm?

"I'm sorry..." Kakashi suddenly murmured. His voice sounded strained, almost painful. I had to listen hard to hear it, though.

Naruto let out a roar and I felt myself being shaken, probably very roughly, too, if I knew Naruto well enough.

"Sakura-chan, wake up, damnit!" He exclaimed, and I could feel more warm raindrops drip onto my face, but barely. I wanted to scream, move my arms, anything to show them I wasn't dead! They could bring me to Tsunade, she would definitely know what to do.

"You can't be dead yet!" He roared, and suddenly I felt pressure around my upper body. He was basically crushing me in a hug, if I felt this much of it.

"Naruto, there's nothing you can do." Kakashi exclaimed, and suddenly the pressure was gone. "We'll bring her body back and give her a proper burial." Kakashi exclaimed, and I felt my body being transfered into his arms. No! They couldn't bury me, not while I was alive! Please! Bring me to Tsunade! I tried begging from inside my mind. My inner started to panic as well, but I tuned her out. I didn't want to deal with her right now.

"No, we _won't_ give her a burial, because she's _not_ dead, damn it!" Naruto cried, sounding so desperate. I wish it wasn't just my five senses that were numb. My heart was breaking over and over again. It hurt so much- my parents death, and now this? What did I do to deserve it all?

"Use some revival jutsu on her, anything! Bring her back to life!"

"Naruto, you know I can't do that. We need a human sacrifice-" Kakashi tried to explain to him, but Naruto interrupted him.

"Then use me! I'll be the sacrifice! As long as she doesn't die!" Naruto exclaimed, every word, every syllable laced with desperation. I was shocked. He couldn't. He just couldn't. I would never forgive him _or_ myself if he killed himself. And for me! I didn't deserve such devotion from him in the first place! Kakashi immediately refused, saying he would do no such thing. I wish I could have sighed with relief. I was so thankful that Kakashi was still using his head and had refused Naruto's offer.

I could hear Naruto sobbing, now. He always did wear his heart on his sleeve. He wasn't afraid of crying, of showing his emotions. I would have cried, too, of course. I wasn't finished mourning just yet. I needed to let everything out, all the pain, all the events of the past few weeks. It was too much for me to handle, and I had to find a way to escape all of this.

The poison was still strong in my veins. How was this even possible? It's been a week- my body should have gotten rid of it by now. I tried desperately to summon chakra into my arms, my legs, _anywhere_- as long as it moved! They'd be able to catch it, even if it was only the tiniest movement. They were ninja, two of the best out there.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto choked out. I wondered what Sai was saying or doing at the moment- he was completely silent from what I could hear. After all these years, he still hadn't figured out how to act normally and casually with friends, but I was used to it. Everybody had become used to it.

"... Why did you have to die?" Naruto croaked, and this time, I wanted to punch him.

I. Wasn't. Dead.

How come they couldn't tell? I could feel them carrying me- probably to the Hokage's tower, or the hospital, where Tsunade would be. I could hear Naruto sobbing as I was brought up to one of the most precious people in my life, my other mother. I heard her gasp, and felt her poking and prodding my body with chakra enhanced fingers. I was safe now- she'd know what was wrong with me. She was a legendary sannin! The greatest medic of all time.

"What happened to her?" Tsunade demanded, slamming her fist on the desk. C'mon, Tsunade-sama, tell them I was perfectly fine! It was only a snake bite- nothing serious, right? I tried remembering what the snake looked like, but I could barely think properly. I was pretty good when it came to poisons. If I knew what snake it was, I'd be able to create the cure.

I felt a small prick on my arm- only a tiny one. My senses seemed to be blocked, still. She was probably examining my blood at the moment. If I could have, I would have sighed in relief. Now she'd be able to find the cure, easily! I mentally cheered her on, begging her to hurry up.

"Her blood... It's cold." Tsunade exclaimed. What? How is that even possible? I was alive. I could hear her, even if it was faint. I could even feel the pricking of the needle on my skin.

"This poison... It's similar to Orochimaru's experiments, but completely different at the same time." Tsunade exclaimed, her voice not breaking in the slightest. She sounded confident- that meant she knew I was alive, right?

"I've never encountered this type, before." Tsunade continued, and I wondered what was going through the woman's head. Why didn't she just extract all the poison like I had with Kankurou? "She was bitten by some sort of snake." She exclaimed, touching the snake bite on my hand.

"I've heard some rumors about Orochimaru, lately." Kakashi exclaimed. "He had been experimenting on the snakes he summoned." He continued. It sounded as if this conversation was going to end up very badly, about my current condition, but my hopes were too high. My faith in Tsunade was too great- I just _knew_ she would be able to fix me. She wouldn't give up without trying- I mean, I was precious to her too!

"Many of the snakes had become angered and escaped- some were spotted around the Konoha border, all unable to return to their dimension due to Orochimaru's tampering."

"Can she be fixed?" Naruto suddenly exclaimed- I thought he had stayed outside of the room, but apparently not. He seemed to have become more stable, now. Tsunade sent some chakra through me, probably examining my current state. After a couple of moments, I heard a shaky sigh, a pause, and the window sliding. After that, Naruto's voice wasn't heard again.

Had she shaken her head? Naruto might have left the building through the window in grief and- _No_. That couldn't be it. The shaky sigh must've meant that Tsunade was relieved! She must have nodded, and then Naruto couldn't wait to tell everybody the good news! I was obviously alive- Tsunade had felt it! My heart soared, for the first time in what felt like years. I was going to be _saved_.

"How could this have happened?" Tsunade exclaimed, sadly. I wanted to apologize- I was being completely careless and had become bitten by a snake while I was dipping my feet in the stream. It really wasn't that big of a deal. I would just make sure to be extra careful next time I'm out doing something by myself. I felt like dancing for joy. Finally, something good had happened! They had finally figured out I wasn't dead!

The next couple of days passed by very slowly. The same day I had been found, I had been changed into more comfier clothes and laid in some bed- probably in the hospital. There was so many people who visited me that day. It was very sweet and considerate, really. I didn't know everybody cared about me that much. Flowers were placed on me, which was a little weird. Why didn't they just put it in a vase, beside my bedside? Eh, I didn't really care too much. I was just glad Naruto and the others finally realized I would be alright.

I heard many people talk about me, about how I was so amazing, and that I was such a great friend. They spoke about how my parents had passed away only days before, and that I would always be loved.

Pfft, this was all probably Ino's doing- she was always dramatic about even the most insignificant things. There were so many odd, but very nice things said about me, even from people I rarely talked to. Things like, 'I always admired her.' and 'She grew up to be a strong, inspirational kunoichi.'

I felt like smiling.

Unfortunately, I was in the same condition as I had been whe I had regained consciousness. I was unable to see or move, but I could still hear and feel slightly.

There were many people crying, too. I heard their sobbing, sniffles, and I wanted to comfort everybody so badly. I didn't know they were so worried about me! I'd apologize later for giving them such a scare- I guess I'd be pretty upset if Naruto or Ino had been in my position.

I inwardly chuckled at all the theatrics. Ino went pretty far this time. I'd have to thank her later. She was making way too big of a deal about my little 'coma'. I was only in the hospital, after all. I mentally sighed to myself. I was finally at peace.

After that day, my bed became really cold and nobody visited. I was confused, to say the least. Maybe Tsunade wanted me to be left alone to rest properly or something. What confused me even more was that nothing was done to take out the poison in my body, or to feed me. The feeling in my limbs had returned somewhat, but I still couldn't see. My breathing was still really hard, too. I started feeling spasms of pain in my stomach- I was _starving_!

A few days had passed by after that- it was really long, but eventually all my feeling came back, except for my sight, which I wasn't too worried about. I tried bringing my hand up to my face, but there was something a couple of inches above my body. It was strange- I was pretty sure patients always had a bed to themselves, and plenty of room.

I felt around myself- the flowers placed on me were rotten, and I realized that the reason why I wasn't breathing properly was because I was in an enclosed space. Why would Tsunade or the nurses do that? It wasn't hospital procedure, that was for sure. I let out an exasperated sigh- they would have much explaining to do. When I pushed at it, it wouldn't open.

What the hell?

It was as if there was weight on top of it, keeping it down. Was this some kind of sick test for my strength and healing ability? It wasn't impossible. Maybe they were trying to see how fast I could heal myself and get out of here. Strange, considering there was no need for them to even test me. They've seen my strength before, in numerous training sessions. I summoned some chakra into my fist and punched the heavy lid, breaking it into splinters.

I felt some dirt fall on my face as I did so, and I opened my eyes slowly, letting it adjust to the light. Luckily it was nightfall, and it was dark. I looked around myself- I was _outside_.

Funny.

I was also waist deep in dirt, sitting in some wooden box, and there was... Gravestones around me? My eyes widened in shock as the realisation hit me.

I turned around to see a gravestone with _my_ name engraved into it, and I put my hand on my mouth to muffle my scream. They had given up on me? Now it all made sense. The people all visiting me... Those comments about my life... It was a_ funeral_. I had been buried here and left to _rot_. How could I have not realized earlier? I couldn't believe it. When the shock slightly died down, I clenched my fists. I had been blinded by my joy and false hope and was unable to see the truth.

I was furious, disappointed, and in even more pain than before. My heart hurt as if my parents had died at least five times over. Tsunade-sama. Kakashi. All my friends. They had given up on me.

I was even more furious than ever! How could they? Didn't they believe I was strong? I thought they knew me better than that! I thought I proved myself to them! They _couldn't_ have believed I was dead.

Wasn't I precious enough to them? They were definitely precious enough to me. I would've died a million times over for them, and they knew it! Why didn't Tsunade-sama try to revive me? Those words said at my funeral must have meant nothing!

Why didn't they even try? They had just assumed I was dead, that I was weak, and pathetic, and... And... And maybe I was.

Maybe they were sick and tired of me and they were _glad_ to have gotten rid of me.

Just the thought made my heart clench even more. _They had given up on me_. They had left me there to just... I still couldn't believe it. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to feel. Was I supposed to be sad? Angry? Disappointed? I felt that I had reasons to. But then again, maybe I was supposed to feel happy?

I was free, now. I could go tell them I was alive, again, and prove to them I was worth their time. I've always thought they were my_ life_... They were what was most important to me... I just... I honestly didn't know what to think.

Maybe I was still in shock, or the emotional damage was too much, I didn't know. I decided to stop thinking about all that for now and simply decide what I was going to do from now on. First, I climbed out of my coffin. I felt like gagging at the thought that I was supposed to be decaying down there, with all the worms and bugs eating at my body.

I put the dirt back, making it seem as flawless as it had been before I punched my way through it. Luckily I hadn't been buried more than a foot deep. I placed the bouquets and other memorial items back to their original position, since I had knocked a few of them down. I stood up and looked down at my outfit- I had been put into a long white dress. It wasn't very white anymore, and had a couple of dirt and grass stains.

I looked around- there was nobody in sight. I carefully crept back towards the more populated part of the village. It was dark, still, and I figured I had plenty of time to find everybody and tell them I was back. I did my best not to cry and scream, no matter how much I wanted to at the moment. I pushed all the thoughts and as much of my emotion to the back of my mind as best as I could, and continued into the village, making sure my chakra was masked and that I wasn't seen and heard.

I headed to my place, which looked completely untouched, and changed into civilian clothing. I tied up my hair and put on a hat so that nobody could see the color of my bright, pink hair and brought some money with me. When I left my apartment, I first checked Ino's house- I peeked through the windows, but she wasn't in any of the rooms. I checked Naruto's apartment, Sai's place, and a couple more houses of the Konoha Rookies and even Kakashi's, but nobody was there. Where had they all gone? I started peeking through the stores that were still open, and I finally stumbled upon this one restaurant.

_Everybody_ was there. They were having a celebration, but for what? I headed inside, to a table beside theirs and listened in on their current conversation. They were all laughing, and drinking, basically having a good time. I thought at least maybe Ino would be sad that I had passed away, but obviously not. Unbelievable! Had our friendship been a lie this entire time?

"That bitch." Ino exclaimed, "At least now I don't have anymore competition."

I felt my heart sink, down, but I didn't react. I couldn't be seen, heard, or even noticed by them. A waiter came and asked what I wanted to order, and I told him that I'd be satisfied with just a glass of water and today's special.

"It's hard to believe she's actually gone." I heard Ino continue as she took a swig of whatever drink she had in her hand. I fought the urge to cry. She said it as if she hated me!

"She was always so stubborn. I could never stand it!" Naruto exclaimed, angrily. "I didn't mean it when I said I'd sacrifice _my_ life for hers. I was just... Just... Just putting up a show!" I bit my lip, forcing myself not to gasp. Him, too? He hadn't really meant the things he had said earlier? Had he really hated me that much? I know I was mean to him, but I was sure he knew that I cared!

"And she always hit me, over the smallest and stupidest things." He muttered, darkly. I could practically hear the venom dripping in his voice as he said it all. I couldn't keep my composure for much longer- it was too hard. "I should've just left her lying there! I should've just let her rot!"

The waiter came with my order, and for a moment I forgot the conversation- the food look delicious and I was _starving_. I quickly finished the large plate of food and drank down the glass of water. It would do for now. I asked the waiter for another glass of water- I still needed a reason to stay and listen to the conversation. I started listening back in.

"You know what, guys? She's... She's where she fucking belongs. I... I'm glad she's gone! I hate her so much! Always have and always will!" Ino exclaimed, wiping away her tears angrily. She hated me so much that she was _crying_? Unbelievable.

"Like I said before, she was always so stubborn, so annoying, so weak, so-"

Ino's harsh words rang in my head. Hate? She had always hated me? Every word said had felt as if it cut me, and I couldn't take listening to their conversation anymore. I chugged down the water and left the money on the table and immediately rushed out of the restaurant. The tears were already running freely down my face as I headed straight for my home. If Naruto and Ino, two of my closest friends in the world, really hated me all this time, then all the others must have simply loathed me. It was the only explanation I could think of. I let out a sob. The pain in my chest and in my head- it hurt too much. I needed to get away- to escape all this.

* * *

"Like I said before, she was always so stubborn, so annoying, so weak, so dependant, so violent, so-"

"Ino, Ino! We get it!" Tenten exclaimed, wrapping her arms comfortingly around her friend. "You and Naruto have been at this all week- and we know you don't mean what you've said. Sakura would hate to see you like this. She'd want to see you two as happy and move on. We all do." Tenten continued, softly. Ino and Naruto had been the most affected from Sakura's death, and to escape their suffocating emotions, they had started taking it all out on the others by raving on about Sakura.

"No, I _do_ mean it! That stupid fucking bitch! What was she thinking, leaving us like that? She didn't _have_ to go out and get herself killed!" Ino exclaimed, her voice angry but cracking. She knew she wasn't going to be able to keep the sharade up any longer. She hadn't cried since the funeral, which had been quite a while ago. She glanced over at Naruto, who's expression was still hard. Watching his seemingly emotionless face brought a new determination in Ino. It felt as if only he understood the pain she was going through.

"Naruto, tell them!"

Naruto's stony visage momentarily faltered when he heard the desperation in Ino's voice. Inwardly, he felt awful, and completely blamed himself for Sakura's death. He hadn't been there to protect her, so his logic told him that he had let her die. He was angry at himself, and Sakura, for dying and- and _leaving_ everybody like that. How could Team seven ever be whole again? Didn't she know how much he cared?

He cared so damn much it _hurt_!

And why were the others just sitting around? They were her friends, too! Did _they_ even care?

Suddenly angry, Naruto exclaimed, "I needed her, Tenten!_ None_ of you guys understand, do you? She was supposed to- she shouldn't have _died_, damn it! When I become Hokage, Sakura was going to be beside me ruling Konoha! She was supposed to stay with me forever! She was my _best_ friend!"

He paused to take a breath, panting.

"None of you guys care, do you? Why don't you all-"

"We _do_ care, Naruto." Neji exclaimed, interrupting him. Naruto glared at him. Neji couldn't have been telling the truth- if he did care, he'd be just as angry as Ino and Naruto was. Naruto clenched his fist as Neji carried on.

"She was an amazing, talented kunoichi. She was our good friend, the Hokage's apprentice, and a very important member of Konoha. Everybody's going to miss her. You need to understand that it wasn't your fault, or anybody's. It was an accident. She didn't kill herself, and we all knew how much she cared for all of us." Neji exclaimed, his voice softening in the end.

"Our precious cherry blossom..." Lee started, sighing sadly. "Naruto, Ino, you two must find it in yourselves to release all these negative thoughts and feelings. Like Tenten said, Sakura-chan would never want to see you like this." Everybody nodded. Unable to keep up her angry facade, Ino let out a wail, burying her face into her arms. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't be angry anymore- not when it wasn't really Sakura she was angry at.

Naruto's expression stayed hard. He would never forgive himself. First Sasuke, and now Sakura. How was he ever going to be Hokage and protect the entire village if he was too weak to even keep his most important people alive? It wasn't possible. He needed more training, he needed to become stronger, he needed...

He needed _Sakura_ back in his life. She was the one who always supported him! She was who healed his injuries so he could get up and try again! He _needed_ her.

"Naruto-kun... If you need to cry-" Hinata started, but she wasn't able to finish her sentence because Naruto was already clutching on to the bewildered female, sobbing his heart out. Like Ino, he couldn't take all the pain and anger that he was bottling up inside of himself. He needed to let it go, like Lee had suggested.

He needed to be stronger and face every obstacle head on. Especially this one.

He needed to be _exceptionally_ strong for Sakura-chan.

But for the moment, he'd let himself cry.

* * *

End of chapter! TBC.

Sorry if she's OOC, but she's in shock, and her emotions are out of control. I just thought her actions would be pretty unpredictable, and so all of this happened. Hopefully her slight OOCness here isn't going to ruin the story for you.

Also, I know the summary says stuff about the Akatsuki becoming chibi, but that's not until after the first couple of chapters. She still has to do a few things before that actually happens- I know this chapter is pretty depressing, but I can guarantee everything getting more light-hearted. I hope you guys give it a chance and stick around for the later chapters!

Please review! Please, tell me if you'd continue reading this, or if I should discontinue since it's only the first chapter.


	2. Defiance

Disclaimer: I do now own Naruto or any of its characters.

Title: Bad Communication  
Summary: The last requirement Sakura needed to have in order to be accepted into the Akatsuki was to successfully perform the communication technique. An accident occurs, causing all the Akatsuki members to become chibi. Akatsuki x Sakura

Thanks so much for the reviews! (: I really appreciated them.

I wrote this a_ while_ ago, but recently just went through it again. Hopefully I didn't miss any typos or something, ahah. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Distraught, I rushed home, immediately changing into my traveling gear. Making a mental checklist in my head, I grabbed some clothes, money, weapons, medical and hygienic supplies and stuck them into a bag. I looked around my room, to see if I needed anything else, and decided to bring a picture of my parents. I didn't bother looking for any pictures with my 'friends'. They never cared about me in the first place.

All I was in Ino's eyes was competition, and to Naruto, I was only something that held the team back. I didn't want to know what the others thought about me. All the things said about me during my funeral? _Lies_. All of them. It was nothing but a pretense, probably meant to look good in front of all the other villagers.

I grabbed my headband just before I stepped out the door and _ran_. I sprinted, to the Konoha gates, where I snuck past Kotetsu and Izumo. It wasn't hard, considering the two were playing cards with each other. They should have been paying more attention, but I really could care less. Once past the gates, I ran until I could barely breathe or stand properly, and I sat down at the base of a tree. I took out my headband and a kunai, creating a slash through the leaf symbol.

_Konoha_.

I spat the name of the village bitterly. My home, my friends, my _life_. It had all been a lie. My eyes were swollen, and I could feel the tear tracks down my face, but I wasn't crying anymore. I wasn't going to shed another tear for _them_. I felt furious, and not to mention _betrayed_. Had they been using me this entire time?

I felt like punching something! Anything!

With a frustrated cry, I clenched my right fist and sent it through the tree beside me.

Unbelievable!

The hugs, the laughs, the missions- all this time, they had been faking.

But now that I really thought of it, was our false relationships really that hard to believe?

Kakashi-sensei... Well, he always neglected me. He focused on Naruto and Sasuke all the time, and in all honesty, he must have thought I was weak all my life. I guess it really wasn't surprising he never cared.

And Tsunade, that crazy alcoholic. Pfft, she probably trained me so that she could continue lazing about. It was always Shizune and I doing most of the paperwork, figuring out the political matters. I couldn't believe I had thought of her as a second mother! As if she _really_ cared that much for me.

The only ones who truly ever loved me were my parents, and they were _gone_. There was nothing left for me in the damned village.

I bit back a cry as this realization sunk in. The shock, the pain, everything was still so raw. I felt like breaking down and crying again, but I was more angry than sad. I refused to be weak- I'd stopped being weak when I requested being Tsunade's apprentice. I knew for a fact that I'd grown stronger. I clenched my teeth. They were all wrong. Every one of them, and I was going to prove it to myself.

I can't believe I loved them, cared for them, trusted them. I felt like scoffing, now. I didn't need _them_. I was extremely stupid for believing all their lies. I'm not going to fall for it again. I could take care of myself from now on, become a missing-nin. I wanted nothing to do with _Konoha_, anymore.

Hell, Orochimaru could destroy the village for all I care. And Sasuke? I had gotten over him a long time ago. He was traitor and a bastard. What was I thinking, falling in love with him? He was never worth my time, or anybody's for that matter. He had left everything behind for power. He had friendship, love, he belonged, and was cared for, and what did he do? The _idiot_!

Then again, even that could have been a lie.

I didn't blame him for leaving the pathetic village. It still didn't matter- the old Sasuke was gone, and now so was the old Sakura. Besides, he made it perfectly clear he had severed all bonds with me. Calling me annoying all the time, leaving me cold on the bench- I chuckled darkly. How could I have loved someone like_ that_? Thinking back on everything, I really was stupid. Maybe my 'dying' was a good thing, after all.

Speaking of Sasuke, Naruto still hadn't kept his promise. I scoffed out loud at this thought. I have to admit, though, he was a really convincing actor when he 'offered his life' to save me. The Akatsuki could have the hyperactive, annoying blond I once called my best friend. They could overrun Konoha with all the bijuu they had, and I would not care, even in the slightest. They probably would some day, too. They already had most of the demons in their possession. They were strong, powerful, and they were enemies with Konoha...

Perfect!

_I_ could join the Akatsuki.

I grinned to myself. I was confident that I was well-known in many places. The Hokage's apprentice, talented medic and kunoichi. I knew I wasn't completely useless. The people of Konoha may have thought I was weak, but like I had mentioned before, they were wrong.

And now that I've made my decision, all I had to do was to find them.

* * *

I'd been traveling everywhere, to different countries, looking for just one member of the Akatsuki, but I've had no success. It had been weeks since I had run away from Konoha. To get pay, I've worked at hospitals everywhere, or even in small stores. As long as I had enough money to pay for food and shelter. I currently called myself Hanako Madoka, just in case somebody recognized my name. I had even henged my hair into a deep, dark brown. Pink was much too conspicuous.

"Hanako-san, will you please treat this young boy? He seems to have a sprained ankle." A nurse asked, motioning the child towards me. I nodded at her and smiled at the boy, who was limping badly. A sprain didn't hurt that much, could it? Well, I was a kunoichi, I had to be used to pain, even though I usually healed myself right after.

I did a few tests on his ankle, making sure nothing was actually broken, and gave him some ointment to soothe the pain- I couldn't use any chakra, here. Everybody in this small village had no idea I was a kunoichi. I didn't want to blow my cover anytime, soon. "Thank you, lady!" The boy exclaimed as I finished applying some ointment on the sprained area.

"Be careful, now. We wouldn't want you hurt, again." I said, and he nodded at me with a toothy grin. I smiled back as he walked back towards his parents who were waiting patiently for him. When they were out of sight, I let my smile disappear. The kid's grin had reminded me too much of _Naruto_. And thinking of Naruto always led me to think about the others in Konoha.

I stared down at my shoes- why didn't they tell me I was just so... So unbearable? I would have done anything for them. They were my life, my motivation in getting stronger. They were my comfort, the people I turned to when I needed to cry or let out my pain and frustration. I had depended on them for my laughs, for having a great time. I trusted them. I trusted them with my _life_!

And now it was all over. I wondered, as I heard them pour out their hearts, what they_ really_ thought of me throughout the years. Was I ever a friend? Out of all things said, I honestly couldn't believe it was Naruto and Ino who had been telling everybody how much they hated me. It made me upset and angry at the same time. Not only had they completely given up on me, when I was still _alive_, but they had been talking behind my back!

They kept saying how I was stubborn, overemotional, violent...

Okay, so maybe I was. But it wasn't the point! They were supposed to be my friends. They were supposed to tell me when they were having problems with my attitude, and then we'd deal with it like mature people. I didn't even realize I was taking it too far! Why would they keep things like that inside?

I must have been such a big burden to them all...

... Or maybe I actually did accomplish something. Maybe I was actually a strong enough kunoichi for Konoha but all I really was to_ them_ was a useful tool. They took advantage of me- of my trust, my loyalty. I had been too naive. Sure, they had always had my back during missions, they've hung out with me, laughed with me, but how did I not know this was all a lie? For all I knew, everything they did was some stupid charade.

Or maybe... Maybe I was being paranoid. The world did not revolve around me and my life.

Maybe they truly loved me. Maybe they actually thought of me as a precious friend, somebody they would risk their lives to save. Maybe I wasn't a burden to them, that I wasn't weak, and that I was equal with them in terms of power. Maybe they were just really, _really_ upset-

"Hanako-san! Come quick!" A nurse exclaimed, urging me to head over to the window. Something big was happening. "I've heard of them before, they're called Akutaski, or something like that. I heard they're dangerous." She said, and my eyes widened when I recognized the cloaks. Black, with red clouds. It was them. The ones I've been looking for this entire time. _Akatsuki_. "What do you think they're doing in a quiet place like this?"

"I have to go." I exclaimed, and the nurse nodded, not really paying attention to me as she continued to watch the two cloaked men walking down the street. Luckily for me, I had always made sure I kept my most important things with me as I went to work. I quickly ran back into the office I left it in, wrote a note, and grabbed my pack. I dashed down to the door, and into an abandoned alley, henging myself to look like another civilian.

I couldn't let the nurse recognize me as 'Hanako Madoka', just in case. It never hurt to be too careful, right? I doubted I had another chance at this, and I needed to do it right the first time. I walked behind them, making sure to keep a certain distance away at all times, just in case they could sense my henge. I didn't let them out of my sight once, and waited patiently until we walked pass the gates exiting the village.

They continued walking, and after the gates were out of sight, I ran up to the two, whose faces were covered by the hats they were wearing.

"Hey." I exclaimed, but they ignored me and continued walking on. What the hell? I reached out to tap one of the guy's shoulders but suddenly my hand was caught. I gasped, surprised at the speed.

"What do you want?" He exclaimed, and I pulled my hand away. When I sensed that there were no other presences around us, I undid the henge, causing me to return to my pink-haired, green-eyed self again. I told the man I wanted to join the Akatsuki, and he scoffed.

"As if you'd be able to handle it, pinky."

... Oh, really? I stepped back, challenging him to a quick fight.

"Don't waste my time." He said, turning away and walking off.

Instead of gaping at him, I channeled some chakra into my foot and stomped on the ground beneath us, causing it to crumble and shake. He stumbled a bit, before recomposing himself, but by the time he had been able to catch himself, I had already lunged at him, aiming to punch him through a couple of trees. My hit landed where I had been aiming at- his cheek, and because I had enforced the punch with some chakra, it really did send him and his stupid hat flying.

Suddenly I found myself pinned up against the tree by his partner. The guy's partner- the one who was currently pinning me to the tree- accidentally lost his hat, though I didn't see the point of hiding his face behind it when he was still wearing an orange and black swirled mask.

"What the hell was that for?" The guy I had punched exclaimed, as he got up and walked towards us. He had blond hair tied up in a pony tail and a scope covering an eye.

I glared at him.

"You ignored me." I accused, and he only rolled his eyes, saying that I looked weak. I grit my teeth at that and struggled against his partner's hold, but I couldn't break free. My arms were twisted in an awkward position and pushing against him only caused me pain.

"I'm _not_ weak." Sometimes I may be careless, and possibly clumsy at times, but I knew I wasn't _weak_. Well, compared to my twelve-year old self, at least.

He sighed.

"What's your name, yeah?" He asked, and I told him. His lifted an eyebrow when I did.

"Sakura Haruno? The Hokage's apprentice? Why would someone like _you_ want to join Akatsuki, yeah?" He asked, obviously disbelieving. Aw, crap. Proving my loyalty was going to be tough.

"Long story." I muttered. Did I really have to explain _everything_ to them? If I included the whole snake bite induced coma, I would probably sound too weak or something.

"To make it short, I'm not a part of that village anymore." I said, hoping it was enough. The blondie shook his head, saying that I could be lying just to get some information on the Akatsuki. I fought the urge to sigh. "What will it take for me to prove my loyalty?"

"Show me your headband, yeah." The blonde exclaimed, and I cleared my throat, looking at the masked man. He glanced over at the blond who nodded, and he reluctantly let me go. I sent some chakra to soothe the aching he had caused and reached into my bag to bring out my headband.

"What's this, now? It's already slashed." He said, and I shrugged. Of course it was. I was a missing-nin, now. I didn't want to be associated with the village, anymore.

"Hm... This will be good for now. Besides, if any of your little friends come, Tobi and I could always kill you, yeah." He exclaimed. I shrugged. It was a perfect deal since none of them would come. I felt like scoffing at the thought. They didn't even know I was _alive_.

"Come with us. We'll bring you to Leader-sama, and he will decide whether or not you're worthy of being Akatsuki."

There was an awkward silence where nobody said anything, but the masked man, whose name was apparently Tobi, spoke up.

"Tobi thinks Sakura-chan would make a wonderful addition to the Akatsuki! She really got Deidara-senpai." He exclaimed. I rose an eyebrow at the thought. What was this guy playing at? One moment he had me immobile against a tree, and the next he's excited I might be joining his organization? The Deidara guy smacked him on the head, saying that Tobi didn't have to say it like that.

We started to walk again, and Deidara suddenly asked, "So, mind explaining to us why you want to join?" I thought quickly of a good, truthful answer that didn't include anything about the snake bite or the strange, unfeeling state I had been in. I decided to say that I had been betrayed by my village- which wasn't entirely false- and that I wanted to get far away from place- which was entirely _true_. I also added in the fact that I've been looking for the Akatsuki for weeks, now.

He seemed to consider my answer for a moment. "Konoha knows you've become a missing-nin, right?"

I paused for a moment. "You could say that." I replied, biting my lip slightly. He rose an eyebrow, but he seemed to shrug it off. If I was lucky enough, maybe I could be accepted into the organization first _before_ I told them the real reasons.

"What do I have to do to join the Akatsuki, anyways?" I decided to ask. They seemed friendly enough to tell.

"Tobi doesn't know, yet. Tobi is Zetsu-sensei's subordinate but Tobi wants to join Akatsuki!" Tobi exclaimed, and I looked at him quizzically. So he wasn't really a member, yet? "Deidara-senpai's real partner is out on a solo mission, because Deidara-senpai isn't usefu-" Deidara smacked him on the head again, stating that Tobi was a bad boy. "Ow, that hurt! Tobi was only being a good boy. Deidara-senpai doesn't need to be so mea-" This earned another smack from Deidara, but Tobi obviously didn't get the hint and continued on.

I would have laughed at the whole situation if it weren't for the fact that these two were dangerous, S-Class, possibly- but seemingly unlikely- bloodthirsty and fierce criminals.

"Tobi, just shut the hell up before I blow you up." Deidara muttered, darkly. Blow him up? With what? Out of sheer curiousity, I asked him, and he gave me a creepy grin. He reached into a pouch and pulled out some clay.

I gave him a confused look and he opened his palms to me, revealing two sets of mouth. I gasped in surprise- I had never encountered such a thing in my life.

"What does it d-" I started to ask, but he interrupted me, saying he was about to demonstrate. I felt a small amount of anger bubble up inside me for being interrupted, but it quickly dissipated. One of the mouths started chewing the small amount of clay and after a while, it spat it back out. I tried not to show my disgust-

It must have tasted _awful_.

Deidara then molded into the shape of a bird and sent it flying off a couple of meters away before he suddenly exclaimed, "Katsu!" And the bird exploded into a milion fragments. I had to say, it was quite impressive. Sometimes I wished I had a special bloodline limit. The Sharingan, Byakugan, and now this? Each of them were pretty insane and they gave the user a big advantage during battles.

"Pretty amazing, yeah? That's my art." Deidara replied, well, _gloated_ was more like it. I nodded my head, agreeing. It was spectacular, I had to admit. Tobi scoffed, stating that it wasn't art, but just a big _mess_.

"What did you say, Tobi?!" Deidara exclaimed, obviously enraged. He seemed to think highly about his so-called art. It was, as a matter of fact, extremely dangerous, though. I was glad to be on his good side. Tobi, however, obviously wasn't.

He ran up behind me and grabbed my shoulders, using me as a human shield. My eyes widened when one of Deidara's clay birdies came whizzing towards me, and I dived off to the side before it exploded.

"What the hell was that for?" I shrieked, obviously furious. Deidara laughed nervously, apologizing. I gritted my teeth and counted to ten in my head to calm myself down. _I _didn't want to explode in his face- it could cause problems having my one chance to joining Akatsuki annoyed with me.

Deidara settled with hitting Tobi on the head. After their argument was finished, we all continued to walk, Deidara and Tobi conversing with each other animatedly while I walked a few feet behind, completely silent. I was still thinking over what Naruto and Ino had said about me. It still stung whenever I thought about it, but I had to face the facts. I couldn't turn back time and _make_ them love me.

"Hey pinky, what's with your mood? Cheer up." Deidara said, turning around. I rose an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes. "It's not fun having some depressed girl tagging along with you. It brings the mood down an- oh, I think I get it, now... Is it _that_ time of the month?" He asked the last part in a more quiet tone, and I gaped at him. Had he really just...? That moment my temper skyrocketed and I lunged at him, snarling. He immediately dodged, and wrapped his arms around my body tightly, immobilizing me.

"Calm down! I was only _joking_, jeez."

I did as I was told and calmed down, muttering a small apology. He merely chuckled, letting go of me and slinging an arm around my shoulders in a all too familiar manner. I immediately stiffened- Naruto always did that. Just the thought of it made my eyes sting. Why was I making such a big deal out of this, anyways? I shouldn't let these memories get to me like this. Not in front of Tobi and Deidara, anyways. If I seemed weak and overemotional, they wouldn't even consider accepting me into the organization!

"How come Deidara-senpai got to hug Sakura-chan?" Tobi asked, incredulously. Deidara roared with laugher as I started sputtering, stating that he had simply been immobilizing me, and that it definitely did not count as a hug. Tobi wasn't having any of it, though.

"Can I hug Sakura-chan, too?"

"No." I refused, shrugging off Deidara's arm. Tobi's posture drooped, and I felt a sense of guilt consume me- but not enough to give him a hug, however.

"We're not far from the base, actually." Deidara announced, and I inwardly thanked him for changing the subject. It probably would have been awkward with Tobi after I had rejected him outright.

"Okay." I acknowledged him with a quick nod, and we headed into their hideout swiftly. It was clever, how the area was hidden underneath a nearly undetectable genjutsu, along with seals, and some secret jutsu that Deidara refused to tell me about.

He then grabbed me by my shoulders and pushed me around hallways until we reached the front of a very large, wooden door. I felt nervousness well up in me, and I started having second thoughts- but I squashed all the negative feelings and focused on being confident. I was a kunoichi, dammit!

He knocked on the door, and we waited patiently for an answer. Just who we were were waiting for, I had absolutely no idea.

"Come in." A deep, dull voice came from behind the doors. I suppressed a shudder as Deidara closed his hand around the doorknob and twisted, gently tugging me along as he stepped in.

Instead of coming face to face with the leader, alone, I was met with the entire Akatsuki- well, some of them. Itachi and Kisame were there in person, however the others were strange holograms, flickering in and out of existence every once in a while.

"Who is she, Deidara?" Their leader demanded, his eyes narrowing slightly. I glanced over and Deidara, who spoke up.

"Sakura Haruno, ex-apprentice of sannin Tsunade, jounin-level medic-nin, yeah. She is now a missing-nin, requesting admittance into Akatsuki."

I gave him a questioning look- I never told him about being a jounin. He simply smiled at me, with that infuriating 'you don't have to know' look written across his face.

"Strange, I haven't heard of this, before." Their leader replied, his tone suspicious.

"It happened only recently." Deidara stated, but the man was not convinced.

"She is well-known, and it is rumored her strength and medical talents rivaled only by Tsunade herself. News of her abandoning Konoha would surely reach our ears by now." The leader countered, being as difficult as ever.

"Possibly." Deidara shrugged, and he turned to me, and from his expression, I could tell it was nearly my turn to speak up.

"Having a medic in our organization would be advantageous." Itachi spoke up, to which I was genuinely surprised. _The_ Itachi Uchiha- killer-of-his-clan, feared-by-all-of-Konoha, ANBU-by-seven- was actually suggesting that it would benefit the Akatsuki if I joined.

I didn't know whether to feel flattered or scared or highly suspicious.

The leader seemed to consider it, and for a minute, I was almost sure he would decline and order one of them to get rid of me, but the pessimistic thoughts dissipated when Deidara squeezed my shoulder slightly. Who knew he was capable of being sweet? It was a small gesture, sure, but I definitely needed it.

"Alright," The leader started slowly, still sounding unsure of this decision. "first I would like to know if the rumors about your strength are nothing but empty words. I wish to see you spar against one member of our organization."

I nodded my head, and he eyed Kisame, Itachi, and Deidara. I looked around for Tobi, but he was nowhere in sight. He was probably waiting outside- after all, he wasn't an official member, if what he stated earlier was true.

"Uchiha." He stated, but I couldn't believe what I was hearing. There was just_ no way_ I could!

He was probably just playing around with me, allowing me to believe that I was being evaluated when in reality he was ordering Itachi to annihilate me.

"I- I have to fight _who_?" I stuttered, indignantly. There was no possible way I could ever stand a chance against-

"Itachi Uchiha."

I paused for a moment, and glanced over at the Uchiha, studying him carefully. I defiantly looked into his eyes, noticing the slight milky color of it. If my understanding is correct, he was beginning to become blind. Sharingan had a straining effect on the user's eyes, and I've heard that Itachi refuses to turn it off. If what they say is true, then his eyesight is nearly irreparable.

I gulped.

Just because his eyesight was a little blurry, it didn't mean his other senses would be dysfunctional. If anything, he probably would have trained even harder as compensation for his deteriorating sight.

I was _so_ screwed.

"Fine." I finally agreed, and in a lower voice, "What do I have to lose, anyways?"

I muttered the last part, but from the smirks on their faces, I think they heard me.

Suddenly Itachi flickered in front of me. As a reflex, I readied myself for impact. "What the he-"

I suddenly found myself slammed into the farthest wall. I quickly blocked the next attack, furious that he had caught me off guard. I didn't know our fight was going to start right away! It wasn't fair- oh, wait. This was the Akatsuki. What would they care?

Itachi started to split himself into ravens, which were flying madly all over the place. When had he cast the genjutsu? I forced my chakra to flow back to its natural state, and the illusion disappeared. At that moment, Itachi decided to launch another attack on me. I dodged, and swiped at him with a kunai in hand. Being the expert he was, he effortlessly dodged my attack.

It was a hopeless situation, I was absolutely sure, but I _refused_ to lose by simply giving up. There was no way I would back down from this.

Suddenly a large burst of fire was coming towards my direction- and fast. I jumped out of the way, but any sooner and I would have been engulfed in flames.

Oh god, Oh god, Oh god!

I stood no chance against this man!

Suddenly he was lunging towards me, a kunai in his hand, ready to slash my arm open. I punched the ground, allowing the chakra to shake and shatter the rocks below us. I lunged towards an opening he created as he rebalanced himself- and I would have hit his chest if he hadn't used his arm to block the chakra-enhanced blow. The bones in his arm didn't shatter like I'd hoped, but he was thrown back a couple of feet.

Forty five minutes later, I lay on the ground, pinned beneath the monster of a man known as Itachi Uchiha. I _knew_ I didn't stand a chance. I didn't even last an _hour_! Now they were going to kill me! I mentally swore- I should have seen this coming. I shut my eyes, waiting for the final blow that would end my life but it never came. Carefully, I opened one eye, only to stare back at Itachi's impassive face. I tried summoning some healing chakra but my chakra reserves were completely depleted, thanks to constantly healing myself during the fight.

"Not bad, not bad, Haruno." Their leader exclaimed. "I'm quite impressed."

I stared at him in unmasked disbelief. I honestly couldn't believe my ears. The so-called 'fight' between me and Itachi, which really was just me getting pathetically beat up, actually impressed the leader? If this were any other organization, I would have believed them to be desperate for some new members. Of course, this was the Akatsuki, the most feared organization throughout the entire world.

"If the information you have given me is correct, I am more than willing to accept you into the Akatsuki. Your temporary partner will be Uchiha Itachi." Pein exclaimed. He glanced at the other members in the room. "Any objections?"

There were none, surprisingly. I would have thought at least Itachi would have spoken up about how disgustingly weak I was, especially considering how badly I lost the quick match. I was confused, to say the least. I shook my head, confirming the fact that I had absolutely no objections with his offer.

"Now, your first assignment. Retrieve your ring from Orochimaru."

* * *

End of chapter! To be continued...

Sorry, the Akatsuki haven't become chibi yet, but they will soon enough! (; Please review!


	3. Initiation

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters don't belong to me.

Title: Bad Communication  
Summary: The last requirement Sakura needed to have in order to be accepted into the Akatsuki was to successfully perform the communication technique. An accident occurs, causing all the Akatsuki members to become chibi. Akatsuki x Sakura  
Time-period: Before Orochimaru, Sasori, or any oof the other Akatsuki died.

Thanks for the reviews! I loved reading them! (:

* * *

Hands clenched, I headed stealthily toward the last spotted hideout of Orochimaru. Itachi was my partner for the mission, but he would be coming later due to another mission he was busy completing. Besides, it was_ I_ who had to prove myself, not Itachi. If he stole the spotlight, then it would defeat the entire purpose of this retrieval assignment.

As I neared the subtle opening of the base, which was exactly where Pein had claimed it would be- within a complicated genjutsu of a large tree in the forest that skirted the edge of Fire Country- I proceeded to suppress the rest of my chakra, leaving me virtually undetectable.

Silently, I crept through the hallways, noting to myself, with great disdain, that the walls and floors were spattered with dried blood. It was disgusting, but I expected no less from Orochimaru and his cruel, inhumane experiments.

I passed many hallways, allowing my temporary, makeshift ring to guide me through the seemingly endless maze filled with turns. Pein had forged one that detected the chakra infused into the real thing, and I wondered what other neat things I could have done with my jewelery- but now was not the time to think about such unimportant things. Instead, I listened carefully as I crept around the base, making sure to stay within the shadows.

Eventually, I heard someone slip out of their room and shut the door. Undetected, I waited until all footsteps died away before I trespassed into the room, where I could feel the strongest 'pull' from my temporary ring. Fortunately for me, the door was unlocked and made no noise as I twisted the doorknob.

Warily, I glanced around the dimly lit room, wondering exactly what could be done with such poor lighting. A few torches were hung, spread in different areas. It seemed to be some kind of laboratory, and as I scrutinized the place from my spot, I failed to find the authentic version of my ring, forcing me to start searching more meticulously.

Jars filled with various human body parts littered the workspace, and I found myself cringing despite the fact I've had to deal with numerous amputations and tons of surgeries. Three eyeballs still attached to its stalk stared around the room as it floated in a yellow substance. One seemed to turn and stare straight at me, and I felt myself shudder.

I started with the end of the room closest to me, and as fast as I could while being thorough, I opened each cupboard, skimmed through each folder, and even checked underneath the storage boxes. All the while, I was using utmost caution as I placed things back where they belonged and destroying any evidence of my being there. I looked up at the clock on the wall- it's been an hour since the occupant of the room had left. I was surprised they hadn't come back, yet.

I continued my search as I slowly made my way towards the other end of the room, which was really quite large. It only seemed cramped because of the many strange items and surgical instruments- no doubt used for the experiments- that crowded the room. I stopped as I reached a hospital bed that looked worn down, and I felt a mixture of indignation and pity fill my being as I thought of the countless experiments that had probably laid there, helpless and dying.

Speaking of experiments, there was a white blanket laid over a body of some sorts, but I steered clear of the bed, unable to bring myself to see what horrors had been done to another innocent soul. However, my curiosity told me different. I found myself distracted as I periodically glanced back at the bed. I felt the temptation there, a beckoning, almost. Unable to concentrate on the task at hand, I finally gave in and crept towards the occupied cot.

My hand trembled as I peeled the white sheets back, but despite my growing horror I knew I could not stop, not until my curiosity had been satiated. First, black hair that contrasted with the white sheets were visible, splayed in different directions. Eyes that could not see, as they were bandaged, came next. Then a nose, a mouth, and the rest of the child's body covered in a hospital gown. I stifled a gasp as my eyes drank in the sight before me.

Unnaturally pale skin glistened in the dim light, and its frailty sent a deep pang of pity through me. I leaned in closer, reaching out towards it- but what could I do? I had no idea what sick experiments had occurred, so I was unable to make a proper diagnosis. Gently, I laid my hand on the child's arm, scrawny from starvation. To my surprise, the child flinched, and even tried lifting its other arm.

"Hurts..."

Although the voice was high-pitched, I could tell that this child was male, but I couldn't decipher exactly what he was saying. His voice was raspy- it was as if he hadn't had any water to drink in a long time, or he had been screaming loudly for too long. The sad thing was, it was probably both.

"What did you say?" I whispered, removing my hand from the boy's arm. He turned his bandaged head towards me, as if he could still see me through the thick wrappings.

"Help me..." The boy croaked, and I debated whether or not to bring him with me. I couldn't just leave him here, to die so undignified and helpless. As he weakly reached towards me, he rasped,

"Kill me... _Hurts_."

I was about to reassure him that everything would be fine, but I noticed somebody's foot tapping behind me, and I whirled around in a defensive position.

"_Sakura-chan_? What a pleasant surprise."

Silver hair. Glasses.

"Kabuto." I hissed, narrowing my eyes in what I believed was a dangerous-looking glare.

"I heard about your death, you know. I'm surprised. What are you doing _here_, though? Still looking for Sasuke-_kun_?" He inquired, sounding as if he viewed this as a conversation between friends. The nerve of this man!

I could feel my jaws clench in anger, but before I could reply, I noticed just what was beside his hand. Within the many jars containing multiple body parts, one of them had a severed hand, with an Akatsuki ring attached to one of its fingers. How could I have missed it before?

"No." I gritted, and he smirked at me with an expression that suggested he did not believe me in the slightest.

"I can take you to him if you'd like." He offered, and my eyes drifted back to his face with wariness. What was he planning?

"No thanks, I think I should be on my way." I declined his offer, and waited- but didn't expect- to see if he would actually step aside for me. Like I had predicted, he stood his ground, smirking at me with an overconfident expression.

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave, Sakura-chan. It's a wonder you've been able to find the base at all." He stated, tapping his fingers on the jar closest to him. I let my eyes linger on his hands, noticing the faint glow of his chakra. From what I could tell, he was forming a chakra scalpel, like had done numerous times in previous fights.

"I'll take you to see your _Sasuke-kun_ if you surrender yourself." He urged- he must really want me to give up if he was offering me the same deal _twice_. I shook my head- what did he expect? If I had supposedly stared death- otherwise named as _Uchiha Itachi_- in the face and escaped, what made him think I'd surrender to_ him_?

"Suit yourself." Kabuto shrugged, and as he tilted his head downward, his glasses flashed.

I waited for him to take the initiative and attack me, but he simply stood there, blocking the door. From the corner of my eye, I saw the child trembling with what I believed was fear. He was attempting to sit up, but could barely even move his arms. Anger coursed through my veins as I watched his failed attempts, and I focused the negativity towards Kabuto.

Time was being wasted as I waited. For all I knew, he already sent a message and was now stalling as he waited for reinforcements. Without any further thought, I lunged towards him. He took it as a signal to attack and he jumped towards me with his arms and hands aimed at my neck, but I dodged and punched him in the stomach. My fist wasn't enhanced with chakra, but it left him gasping as he jumped back.

"You're faster than I last saw you." He coughed, a smirk still plastered on his face, despite the obvious pain he was in- pain that _I_ caused. I scoffed at his arrogance, readying myself for him to come at me a second time.

"I guess I'll have to get serious now." He smiled, menacingly. I fought the urge to roll my eyes- he was so unbelievably full of himself! Trying to be as quiet as possible, I walked backwards, making sure the table was standing between Kabuto and I. If I could just get him to the opposite side of the table, I could grab the jar and make a run-

"Nice try, but I'm not letting you escape so easily."

I frowned- if his attention was redirected for just a few seconds, I'd be able to knock him out and get out right away.

"Help..." The boy croaked, as if somehow reading my thoughts. Kabuto glanced back at him quickly, but that was all I needed. Summoning chakra into both my legs and my hands, I lunged towards him and hit the side of his head with enough force to send him into an unconscious state- except it didn't _work_.

Dammit! He had managed to predict my attack and then strengthen his skull using chakra.

Taking advantage of my momentary state of shock, he punched me in the gut, sending me stumbling backwards. The force caused me to cough up blood, and I wiped the side of my mouth with a grimace. Almost immediately he was in front of me, wasting no time whatsoever to push me into a corner. His body towered over me, and I cursed my short height for such an unfortunate disadvantage.

Before he could completely trap me, I desperately dived to the side, but he caught my arm and swung me back, throwing me against the wall. I winced as my breath was knocked out of me, but I quickly bit my lip to prevent myself from crying out in pain.

"I've caught you, _Sakura-chan_." Kabuto declared as he pinned me to the wall. Using chakra to enhance his limbs,- I couldn't help but notice his chakra control waver every now and then- he disabled me from moving. I refused to surrender so easily, and I struggled beneath the weight exerted on me. My arms and legs glowed with my chakra, which was nearly depleted from traveling for days. It was now a battle between strength and control, now that our limbs were borrowing strength from our chakra. Adrenaline rushed through me as we pushed hard against each other.

I managed to shove him back a few steps, and his once confident expression turned into a snarl. My somewhat successful retaliation must have bruised his over sized ego.

All of a sudden, he quickly lifted his leg, jabbing his knee into my gut and causing me to keel over. I coughed as I doubled over, and from the corner of my eyes I watched the smirk return to his face. Gritting my teeth, I lunged towards him, aiming at his face with my fist, but he dodged easily. The adrenaline had disappeared, only to be replaced with fatigue. I was already feeling the chakra depletion, as I stumbled past him.

"Sorry, but I must end this, now. It was a pleasure to see you again." Kabuto declared, straightening his hands. The glow of the chakra scalpel brightened as he lunged towards me, and in my exhausted state, I could do nothing but press myself against the wall I was now leaning against. I watched, with wide eyes, as he ran towards me, a predatory smile stretched across his face.

In a last, desperate attempt at self-defence, I reached into my kunai holster. Hopelessness engulfed me as I shut my eyes and lunged, knowing very well I would not survive. When my weapon sank into flesh, but I remained unharmed, I opened my eyes to find the young boy, whose eyes were now free of bandages. His back was facing towards me, and Kabuto was unconscious on the ground.

He looked back at me, his eyes a deep violet, with strange black markings surrounding his pupil, which was more slit-like than circular. As I had thought, Kabuto was experimenting with his eyes to create a new kekkai genkai- and I had a feeling he could have been successful... But it couldn't have been worth it, not if _this_ was the price that needed to be payed. The poor child's entire body was so pale and frail and so painfully weak-looking. I bit my lip- now that I had better view of his head, I noticed the patches of bald spots and sloppily-done stitches.

He was _dying_. His breathing was uneven, and his pupils were dilating.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, my hand trembling. "I'm so, _so_ sorry."

He didn't deserve any of this.

To my surprise, he simply smiled at me- genuine and grateful- right as he fell forward. Before even his knees could hit the ground, I caught him, despite the aching protests my back and arms made. Using a minuscule amount of chakra to ease the pain, I took out the kunai embedded in his back, and laid him on the cot as gently as I could. When I looked back at his face, his eyes were staring sightlessly towards the ceiling, but his mouth still held a smile.

Solemnly, I placed the white sheets over his body, grabbed the jar, and left the lair, refusing to turn back even once.

Upon reaching the lair, I took my bloody cloak off and sighed. I couldn't get that child out of my mind- I wanted to save him, really, I did, but as I thought about it, I knew I wouldn't be able to take care of him. He would either be killed by another Akatsuki member for being a nuisance, or I would be forced to abandon him in some village, at best. It was easier, treating patients in Konoha, knowing that everybody that came in to the hospital had somebody to return to.

"Did you get it, Sakura-chan? Did you get the ring?" Tobi asked, bounding up to me eagerly. He caught me in a giant bear hug, and I, feeling slightly awkward, pried him off of me.

"Yes, I did." I replied, showing him the jar. Tobi cringed, declaring how gross the severed hand floating in the jelly substance was, and I couldn't help but smile at his reaction. Giddily, he grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the room where I had first met Pein, and I could feel the nervousness bubble up inside me once again. Tobi knocked the door twice, and waited for somebody to speak.

When Pein's low voice was heard from behind the door, allowing me to step in, Tobi opened the door for me, and I did as was expected and strode into the room.

"Haruno? Back so fast? It's only been three days." Pein said, clasping his hands together. "Impressive. Itachi hasn't even come back from his current mission, yet."

I didn't reply verbally, but chose to nod my head to acknowledge what he had stated. The only reason I had survived was by sheer luck, but I wasn't going to tell Pein that. I fiddled with the jar in my hand, wondering if I was really going to be wearing this ring.

"May I see the ring, Haruno?" He asked, though I knew it was an order if anything. I opened the jar and stuck my hand in, slipping the ring off of the preserved hand, and handed it to Pein, who analyzed it carefully. When he finished inspecting the piece of jewelery, he looked up at me with his ever-expressionless face.

"We will begin the initiation this afternoon, not long after both Itachi and Kisame return." Pein announced, waving a hand to dismiss me. I nodded my head and quietly left, closing the door softly on the way out. When the door clicked shut, I was immediately tackled by Tobi, who started telling me about all the fun stuff they'd be able to do together, and how he would introduce me to all the members.

I felt a small flutter of nervousness in my stomach. Everything seemed so surreal, and I knew I was acting more impulsively, lately. Unsure, I tugged my arm away from Tobi's grip and gave him a small, polite smile.

"I'm really tired, Tobi, so I'm just going to have a quick shower and go take a nap, instead. Do you know where I can sleep?"

"Of course, Sakura-chan! Here," Tobi pulled her to an empty bedroom. The room contained scarcely any furniture and it smelled of dirt and clay. "this is senpai's room, but he's out on a mission, too. The shower is in the bathroom over there, and I'm sure he won't mind if you sleep here."

Nodding, I made my way towards the shower to rinse off the grime that accumulated on me over the past few days. Hopefully whoever lived here wouldn't mind me using their shampoo.

"Wake me up when Kisame and the Uchiha return, okay?" I called out, before stepping into the bathroom.

* * *

I groaned in displeasure as the poking incessantly continued. I tried to ignore it, but my poor, abused cheek could only take so much.

"Tobi, stop it." I murmured, burying my face into the pillow to avoid anymore poking.

"I'm not Tobi, yeah."

I shot up, instantly, blinking away the sleep from my eyes. Standing in front of me was Deidara, smirking down at me.

"Deidara? What are you doing here?" I inquired, sitting up on the bed.

"This is _my_ room, yeah."

"What? Tobi never said it was your-"

_Senpai_.

I felt like banging my head on the wall. I completely forgot that was what Tobi called Deidara!

"_Oh_."

"Don't worry about it, yeah. Anyways, Pein told me to call you for the initiation. Everybody's waiting for you, un."

"Seriously? Dammit." I felt my face heat up and before I knew it, I was blushing from embarrassment- and like I usually do when I get uncomfortable, I started to become angry. "Where's Tobi? He was supposed to wake me up!"

"Calm down, yeah." Deidara replied, chuckling. "I'm kidding, Tobi was on his way up here but I told him I'd take care of it."

I sighed with relief before glaring up at him. He laughed at the look I was throwing him as I got off the bed. I was still surprised at how easygoing and friendly both Deidara and Tobi could be, considering they were both part of the Akatsuki for goodness sake! Their personalities were so different than what I would have ever imagined.

In a polite, and somewhat stiff tone, I said, "Well, thanks for waking me up. Since Kisame and Itachi have returned, I better go."

Before I walked completely passed him, however, he grabbed my arm. I twitched slightly, but I refrained from yanking my arm out of his grip and instead chose to stare at him warily, waiting for an explanation. He may have been more friendly than the others, but it definitely didn't mean I trusted him just yet.

"No need to give me that look, yeah. I was just going to say that you don't know where we're holding the initiation jutsu, follow me."

"It's not in that room where I fought Uchiha-san?" I inquired, relaxing as soon as he let go of my arm. I rubbed my hand up and down my upper arm, not realizing how tight his grip was until he had released it.

"Nope, yeah." Deidara replied, and for a second I was really confused.

"What?" I asked, looking up at him.

He glared in return and as soon as I clued in, I smiled sheepishly.

"Right, right. Your _accent_." I teased, and he turned away with a pout.

"Hmph."

My smile widened and I- whoa! I quietly slapped a hand over my mouth. What was I _doing_? I shouldn't be flirting with him! He was, well... He wasn't necessarily an enemy, anymore. He wasn't that bad to look at, now that I thought of it- and dammit, here I go again! If anything, he was my _teammate_ and after dealing with Sasuke, I've learned that distractions like these could hold me back from my full potential, and lead only to disaster.

"It's just around the corner. There's no turning back now, yeah." Deidara declared, turning back towards me with a smirk that I assumed was supposed to be intimidating. I scoffed as I placed my hands to my hips.

"Trying to scare me? It won't work, Deidara-_chan_."

His smirk only widened as we stopped before the door. "Acting tough now, yeah?"

"Who's acting?" I retorted, and he chuckled before finally opening the door.

"I'll be looking forward to working with you soon, yeah." He stated as he ushered me through the door.

As soon as I stepped into the room, the severity of the situation hit me fully. I was becoming a full-fledged _Akatsuki_ member. Once this information leaked- well, _if_ it leaked, I would be one of the most sought after ninja in the bingo books. I would have to be careful wherever I go, and be disguised at all times.

Was I ready for a commitment like that? Was I ready for a life living in the shadows? Of traveling constantly, of fearing for my very life at every waking moment?

It didn't matter if I was ready or not. Like Deidara had said, there was no turning back. From the moment I approached him and Tobi, I had sealed my fate.

Inside the room the rest of the Akatsuki waited, standing in a circle. Written in ink were symbols that had been scattered around them in a strange order- one I had never witnessed before. I figured it must have been a rare, powerful sealing jutsu of some sort if it required so much to activate it. The summoning technique used quite a large amount of chakra, and in order to activate it, I needed to use my own blood- but the level of complication of the summoning jutsu probably didn't even compare to this one.

As I was forcing my nervousness down, Deidara led me to a gap in the circle. I was surprised to find Tobi standing amongst them as well, knowing he did not own a ring like the others did. Was he more of an assistant? A lesser-known member that was meant to be kept on the down-low? It was the only possibility I could think of that made sense as to why he wasn't the one being initiated.

Silence ensued as I stood, waiting for Pein to bestow upon me the ring I had fought Kabuto for. I could feel all eyes on me, scrutinizing me, analyzing me, and I tried my best not to squirm under the intense gazes. Doubts and feelings of regret were threatening to bubble up, but I pushed them back down. There was no way I could even try turning back- I had no place to return to, nobody to seek out.

Eventually, Pein walked towards me and placed the ring on my hand. I felt a strange tugging, similar to when I summoned slugs. I examined my ring, noticing the symbol inscribed into it was glowing.

"Now, repeat what I do and say." Pein ordered, his strange eyes staring me down. I nodded my head mutely, and he executed the hand symbols in an almost impossible speed. Dumbfounded, I repeated the hand signs as best as I could, hoped that I didn't screw up, and bit the tips of my fingers to draw blood. Once I slammed my hands down on the ground in front of me, the ink symbols became animated almost instantly. I watched in an almost detached fascination as they sped towards the other members' rings.

I felt my ring heat up, and I took my eyes away from the others to watch a film of purple chakra coat over my nails. At least one of my questions had been answered. When the strange heat finally subsided, I glanced back up to inquire about what just happened, only to find ten young children looking back at me with eyes filled with as much questioning as mine did.

* * *

End of chapter! TBC.

... And so the chibi-ness starts! Thanks for the wait. (:

Sorry it wasn't as long as I'd like it to be- I'll try to make it up in the next chapter. Please review!


	4. And It Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Title: Bad Communication  
Summary: The last requirement Sakura needed to have in order to be accepted into the Akatsuki was to successfully perform the communication technique. An accident occurs, causing all the Akatsuki members to become chibi. Akatsuki x Sakura  
Time-period: Before Orochimaru, Sasori, or any of the other Akatsuki died.

Thanks so much for the reviews! I really enjoyed reading them.

Sorry for updating so late!

* * *

Dumbstruck, I rubbed my eyes to see if I was seeing correctly. When that failed, I pressed my hands together and shouted, "Kai!"

Unfortunately, it wasn't a genjutsu, and it definitely wasn't going to be dispelled so easily. What had I done wrong? I realized it was probably the hand signs- I hadn't caught all the symbols Pein had demonstrated for me, and so I assumed it would be similar to a sealing or summoning jutsu.

I mean, I couldn't just ask him to repeat it for me, again! It only made sense that I am able to keep up with the other members, so I followed what my stupid pride told me and continued with the jutsu I had barely any idea about. Now, I was paying the consequences.

"Who awe you?" A blue-haired girl asked. She had a dainty paper flower clipped on the side of her short hair. Her eyes were a striking red, and it was hard to prevent myself from staring for too long. She was an extremely unique-looking child.

"I'm Sakura." I replied in an almost mechanical manner. I could not believe what I was seeing. I _would_ not.

"Sakuwa-neechan?" Toddler Deidara asked, waddling up to me. "I'm Deidawa."

"Hey, I talked to her fiwst!" The blue-haired girl yelled, shoving him away. "_I'm_ Konan."

"Play nicely, now." I murmured, instinctively. Suddenly the other boys started approaching me, each telling me their names. All of them- all of the _Akatsuki_, were now three year old toddlers! It took every ounce of self control I had to refrain from panicking. I had no idea what to do, where to start, how to fix things- that feeling of helplessness, the one I had grown to loathe with every fiber of my being, consumed me once again.

How could I be confident in myself and my abilities when ten well-known, sought-after criminals were now mere children under _my_ care and I had no clue as to what I should do? They had missions to accomplish, goals to achieve, demons to capture. I had no inkling of what they had planned and when. One of them could be expected in Mist in just a few weeks time, or one could have been assigned to assassin a man with a bounty on his head.

Not only did I have to deal with the shinobi aspect of the Akatsuki, but I was now a- a- Oh, Kami, I can't believe I'm saying this- a _mother_! If this jutsu stayed activated permanently, it meant that I was stuck raising these kids all by myself. And no, there was no other option. If word of this leaked out, these guys would be killed instantly, which was the exact opposite of what I wanted.

If Kabuto survived from our last encounter, then he would have told Orochimaru of my abandonment, and he could very well be on his way here to this base to retrieve what I had so obviously stolen. It wouldn't take a genius to realize what was missing in that room of his. There was so much to do! So many things to consider! Stress and shock filled my being, and my eyes started to brim with angry tears.

I almost laughed at the irony. The moment I needed my parents and friends the most, I was absolutely alone. Using my forearm, I furiously wiped the tears from my eyes as I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down so I could think properly.

How exactly could I deal with the Akatsuki affairs when I lacked the knowledge to do so? There was money, the demons, switching bases- there was no way I could handle any of these! My breathing quickened and my heart rate sped up. The calming exercises weren't working! I couldn't start hyperventilating! Not now! I was so- so-

_No_!

I _refused_ to be useless! I was accepted into the Akatsuki, was I not? Even if I did not know how to fix this, I knew I had to try. I may not have much experience with children, but how hard could it be?

"Sakuwa-neechan! Konan is being mean to me!"

I glanced over to find Konan and Sasori playing tug-o-war with... Sasori's older body? I felt shivers down my spine as I examined the puppet the two were pulling. It looked harmless enough, but its appearance held no resemblance to the red-haired little boy that stood in front of me. It was hunched over in an almost turtle-like shape, but its head, which was the only human-looking body part on the body, had dark, spiky hair. A scorpion tale made of wood hung limply at the back, and upon further inspection, noticed that it was bathed in poison. They definitely shouldn't be playing with this thing.

"Please, guys, no fighting." I declared, and they stopped immediately. They were so obedient! I'm pretty sure I listened to my elders, just like these two did. The thought sent a wave of nostalgia through me, and despite how much I still missed mom and dad, I knew I could not cry- definitely not in front of the kids.

"Can I see that, Sasori...kun?" I asked in the nicest tone I could muster. He nodded at me shyly before dragging the large body towards me. The body was made of some strange material. It was a puppet, I figured, but it had a human-like texture to it. I contemplated the idea- _human puppets_? Hah!- but it wasn't possible, though... Right? I examined the empty shell closer. Pulling the cloak over, I noticed that underneath was an open compartment- probably where little Sasori had fallen out when I, ahah, _messed up the initiation process_.

I felt a tug on my sleeve, and I looked down to see Kisame and Zetsu with expressions of aggravation plastered across their small faces.

"Yes, boys?" I inquired, fighting the urge to pat their heads. It was obvious that they had no memory of their... past lives. It was up to me to take care of them and deal with whatever problems arose during the time of this jutsu. I could only hope that the effects would wear off- or that I would be able to find another technique that could counteract this one.

"We awe hungwy." Kisame stated, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Okay, let's find the kitchen." I announced, gesturing for them to follow me out of the dark room.

"Don't you know whewe the kitchen is, Sakuwa-neechan?"

"Sakuwa-neechan, do you know whewe mama and dada is?"

"Yeah! Whewe dada and mama?"

It was as if that question triggered the thoughts of the rest of the children, and soon each one was demanding answers that I most certainly could not give.

"Your parents are away on vacation." I lied, inwardly wincing at having to revert to dishonesty so quickly. "They won't be back for a while, but they asked me to take care of all you guys, okay?"

"But- but they didn't even give me a goodbye kiss! Sakuwa-neechan, did they tell you to give me one fow them? They nevah leave without giving me one, yeah!" Deidara complained, sniffling. My heart melted, and I nodded my head. Kami, who knew how cute he was as a child? Who could resist that adorable face?

"Of course they told me to! Come here, Deidara-kun." He ran up to me and I quickly bent down to his height and gave him a smooch on the side of his face. He turned a bright red and his mouth stretched into a huge grin. I laughed and patted the top of his head, gently. Even as a child, Deidara had no trouble charming me.

"Jeez, Deidawa, quit hogging up Sakuwa-neechan." Konan growled underneath her breath. I think I wasn't supposed to hear her, but I had, anyways, and I felt a smile bloom on my face. Who knew the Akatsuki, of all people, made such adorable children? I stood up and continued heading down the hall to where I was hoping the kitchen was located.

As we were walking, I suddenly heard a loud thud, and I turned around to find Deidara on the ground and the other boys- and Konan, of course- giggling to themselves. With a frown, I scolded them, "Don't laugh when somebody's hurt."

"Why not? It was funny!" Konan giggled, sticking her tongue out at Deidara who sniffled as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Because it's disrespectful." I replied, picking up Deidara and patting him on the back. Deidara wrapped his little arms around my necked and sniffled once more before burying his face into the crook of my neck. I rubbed the blond's back gently, murmuring that they didn't mean to make him feel bad.

"I'd like everybody to apologize to Deidara-chan, please." I declared. Some glanced down at their feet, and there was a moment of silence before they started muttering their apologies. I smiled and asked Deidara if he felt better. He nodded his head, but chose to keep his face hidden behind my hair. His arms tightened ever so slightly around my neck.

I inwardly sighed- at least I was handling their arguments fairly well. I haven't been forced to say, 'Because I said so!' just yet, which I figured was a good thing. Those four words were something I absolutely loathed as a child, so I would make sure I didn't use them at all.

After checking about a dozen rooms, we finally stumbled upon the kitchen, to which Tobi, Hidan, Konan, and Kisame cheered. The others simply walked in and started searching around, raiding the cupboards and fridge for some food. I placed Deidara down, allowing him to run off and find some food for himself. I bit my lip in thought- the kids' personalities were starting to be revealed.

Already, I could tell which kids would be more outspoken, and which would be more quieter. From their posture and how they moved, I could already tell which ones were more aggressive, and which ones would shrink into themselves when dealing with a confrontation- and there was going to be a lot of those. I could already predict who would be arguing within the next hour. I needed to find a way to distract the kids while I sorted everything out.

"Can I eat this, Sakuwa-nee?" Konan asked, holding up an apple. I nodded my head and watched as the other children picked out little snacks. I'd cook a real meal for them, later, I suppose. Dinnertime would be soon, and then bed time. My lips pressed together at the thought- I'll just deal with it when the time comes. Before I could get everything organized and less hectic, I'd have to just go with the flow, and hope things turn out alright.

As soon as each child had chosen their snack, I ushered them into what I believed was the dining room. A large, round table, with many plain, wooden chairs surrounding it. Each child took a seat and began eating. I watched, slightly awed, as Zetsu alternated between tearing his raw meat apart, and taking small bites.

Everybody kept mostly to themselves, with the exception of Hidan, who seemed to be trying to flick bits of food into everybody's face, and Tobi, who kept chattering to himself. The mask that obscured his face had been too large to fit around his head properly, so he placed the band around his midsection, with the mask flush against his back. He looked almost like a turtle, I thought, and I faked a cough to hide my giggle.

"Stop it, Hidan!" Konan suddenly exclaimed, glaring at the boy. He merely stuck his tongue out and continued flicking food. Annoyed, Konan retaliated by biting off a chunk of her apple and launching it towards Hidan, who hadn't expected it. The small piece of apple hit the boy in the middle of the forehead. Seething, he grabbed a discarded orange peel and threw it in Konan's direction. She, however, had the sense to dodge, and instead, the peel hit Kakuzu in the face.

Nobody seemed to notice, and both Konan and Hidan continued throwing bits of fruit at each other. I was about to stand up and stop them before it became a full-out food fight, but it seemed Kakuzu had a different idea. Fuming, he stomped over to Hidan and smashed his half eaten banana into his face, smearing the yellow fruit all over his cheeks and forehead and even up his nose.

Furious, Hidan slapped Kakuzu's hand away, "Why you little-"

I cleared my throat, and the sound had successfully grabbed their attention. I tried hardening my gaze- it was easier when I was dealing with idiots my age, but these were adorable, innocent children! Well, 'innocent' may very well be debated upon. I mean, despite their age, they were still the Akatsuki- but that was beside the point.

"No fighting, other wise I'll be forced to..." I paused, thinking of a suitable punishment. "To give you a time out!"

"Pfft. I'm not scawed of a time out!" Hidan declared, defiantly.

"Really, Hidan-kun?" I folded my arms, hoping I looked serious about this, "Everybody will be playing while you're stuck in the corner."

"I don't cawe." Hidan muttered, stubbornly.

I sighed exaggeratedly. "And I was planning on taking everybody outside later, but since I have to make sure Hidan-chan stays timed out..."

"Way to go!" Konan groaned, smacking her hand on her forehead. "We could have gone _outside_ to play!"

Nearly everybody in the entire room turned to look at Hidan. Some glaring, some with an almost detached gaze. It was unnerving, to say the least, and I wasn't surprised when Hidan quickly caved in to the pressure.

"Okay, _okay_!" Hidan growled, obviously displeased. At least I got him to relent. "I won't fight."

"Good, good." I replied, smiling. "Is everybody finished?"

"Not yet!" Kisame quickly exclaimed. Quickly, he shoved his snack- some unrecognizable leftovers he had found in the fridge- into his mouth. "Aww done!"

"Alrighty. Before you guys can play outside, you need to wait for your stomach to settle, otherwise you'll get sick." I informed them, and many of them frowned. I doubted they would take my suggestion, but I tried, "... How about a nap?"

"What? No!" Hidan whined. "We'we not even tiwed!"

"_Sakuwa-nee_!" Konan seemed exasperated as well. I couldn't understand why a nap did not sound enjoyable to them. It was always difficult to find time for some sleep. If it wasn't my shifts at the hospital, I was always out on a field mission, and even during my days off, I would go catch up with my-

I took a deep breath.

Okay, so maybe I was still a little touchy about it- but who wouldn't? They were my _parents_! I- I-

I couldn't let those thoughts distract me from dealing with my current predicament. If I wanted to survive through whatever this was, I needed to focus one hundred percent!

"Okay, okay. No naps. How about reading? Or drawing?" I suggested, and I watched as both Sasori and Deidara's faces seemed to light up at the latter option. Unfortunately, a few other faces merely scrunched up in distaste. I tried thinking of other things to do. "How about a game of cards? I'm sure there's a deck, somewhere."

"Awe thewe any books?" Itachi suddenly asked. His voice, although childish, held a strange calm to it. He hadn't spoken once since he had introduced himself along with the other children, earlier. In fact, he seemed disinterested in almost everything that occurred, from when Deidara had tripped, to the small food fight.

"I'm sure there are many, Itachi-chan. I'll find one for you." I stated, smiling. He didn't smile back, and instead nodded his head in my direction.

What a creepy kid.

I led the children to a relatively empty room with a couch and a television. I ordered them to stay put for a minute as I went to get the drawing utensils for Sasori and Deidara, and any other kid who wanted to doodle. I found a book for Itachi, and anything else I could get my hands on that could possibly relieve the children of boredom for the next half an hour. I headed to the room where I believed was the leader's office. Fortunately, I had been able to find what I was looking for- a couple of pencils, pens, blank sheets of papers, and books. There were some scrolls, and what seemed to be other important documents, lying on the desk. I'd have to take a look at those, later.

When I returned to the room, I found, much to my relief, that they had listened and stayed in the room. However, it seemed that whatever transpired during my mere ten minutes away, would lead only to my aggravation.

Deidara had been crying again, though this time he was trying extremely hard to prevent any signs from showing.

"What happened?" I demanded, placing my hands on my hips, annoyed. This was really getting old. Despite the fact that I knew their adult selves were criminals who _killed_ for a living, I refused to tolerate any bullying from their child-like states under my watch.

Nobody said anything, and suppressing my sigh, I did what my parents did whenever I wouldn't talk.

"Until somebody tells me what happened here, I won't be taking you outside."

"We didn't do anything!" Konan suddenly blurted. "He just started cwying!"

"Really, now?" I asked, disbelievingly. How was I going to get them to get along? Or at least tolerate each other? It was bad enough thinking about how I was going to deal with Akatsuki affairs, but now I'd have to break up every little argument! How frustrating. Inwardly sighing, I wished I was a little more patient.

"What she says is twue." Itachi stated, and I took his words into consideration. He really didn't seem like the type who would conspire against anybody. Then again, looks could be really deceiving.

I knelt beside Deidara, pulling him to me in a tight hug.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned. He merely shook his head as he clinged to my shirt. "You can tell me." I urged.

"I- I thought you wewe g-going to leave me without saying goodbye." He stuttered, hiccuping once. "Y-you said you would only b-be gone a minute, Sakuwa-nee."

"Of course I'd never leave." I replied, smiling widely. He was crying because he missed me? Man, Deidara was too adorable. "I got sidetracked, is all."

Picking up the things I brought, I spread them out for the children to pick and choose. As I had predicted, both Sasori and Deidara had chosen the art supplies and had immediately started doodling around.

With the children occupied, I made my way towards the kitchen to start on dinner. I searched the cupboards, raided the fridge, and scoured what I believed was the pantry, only to find barely enough ingredients to make dinner with. Noodles, tomatoes, some vegetables, and a few other things were all I had been able to find- I guess I was going to be making pasta. It made me wonder how exactly the kids were able to find their snacks. I made a mental note to go grocery shopping tomorrow morning, before the children woke up.

Hopefully they weren't picky eaters- I really don't want to deal with that.

Speaking of things I didn't want to deal with- I still needed to go through all the records and scrolls in the Akatsuki's office. I executed the Kage Bunshin technique and made two copies of myself. Unlike certain people, I didn't have massive reserves of chakra, so two to five was about all I was able to create in my comfort zone. I sent one into the room I'd found the scrolls, while the other was to search around the lair for anything that could be of importance.

Forty five minutes later, I had finally finished preparing and serving the pasta into equal portions for everybody. Satisfied with my successful efforts, I headed back into the room to find that they had behaved fairly better than what I had initially expected. The room had gotten considerably messier, with papers, writing utensils, and other little gadgets I'd found for them strewn about. They didn't seem to notice me standing at the door frame, and I took this opportunity to watch them interact with each other.

Deidara and Sasori seemed to be getting along well. One would turn to the other and speak occasionally. It seemed that Deidara was not as introverted as I had believed- he had a grin on his face and seemed to be doing most of the talking, whereas Sasori seemed content to simply nod along, verbally replying only when necessary.

Itachi was sitting off to the side, reading the book I had given him. He seemed absorbed in whatever was in the book, and I couldn't help but feel relieved that he was able to find something that interested him. He seemed so apathetic, though I guess he was one of those children who didn't warm up to just anyone, and not so quickly, either.

Hidan and Kakuzu were rolling on the ground, wrestling, and I suppressed a laugh. Although Kakuzu didn't speak much, it was obvious he had quite the temper. I considered breaking them up immediately, but neither were getting seriously hurt and well, I guess it was better to allow boys to be boys.

Both Zetsu and Tobi were stacking objects atop one another, carefully making their tower taller and taller, before laughing to themselves as it came tumbling back down when the ground twitched- wait, _what?_ I narrowed my eyes in suspicion but then quickly realized that all the items were actually stacked upon Kisame's sleeping form.

Lastly, I peeked over at Nagato and Konan. I had to force myself not to laugh- it was such a ridiculous sight. Konan had forced Nagato to sit down as she knelt behind him, her hands playing with his hair. Small clumps of his bright orange hair were tied together and sticking out in different directions all over his head. I decided it was time to interrupt their playtime- they probably would be slightly miffed if their dinner was cold.

I cleared my throat and everybody stopped what they were doing to look up at me all at once. I took a step into the room and declared, "Dinner's ready, now. Everybody to the dining room!"

Tobi nudged Kisame, who was still asleep, and the blue-skinned boy woke up, tiredly scratching his eye.

"Dinner's ready." I repeated, and Kisame instantly bolted up, his eyes widening. With a toothy grin- his teeth were as sharp as they had been when he was an adult- he jumped up and ran in the direction of the dining room. The others trailed in behind him and I watched as they each sat down, staring at the food.

"Oh, this looks yummy, ne Sasowi-kun? Itadakimasu!" Deidara exclaimed, before eagerly digging into his food. Sasori nodded with a shy smile before he, too, started eating his food. The others followed suit, and I quickly ate up my dinner.

"Sakuwa-nee! Is thewe any mowe?" Kisame asked, and I shook my head. His disappointment was obvious as he pouted and stared longingly at the others who still hadn't finished eating.

"We've ran out of food here, so I'm going to be making a trip to the market, tomorrow. Hold on," I got up and quickly grabbed a pen and a blank piece of paper from the room they had been playing at. "Now, what do you guys want me to get?"

They started shouting different things, and I could barely tell apart each suggestion. Realizing my mistake, I laughed, "One at a time, please!"

I started from one end of the table and worked my way around, and soon I had a long list of what kind of food they all liked. I estimated the prices in my head, and I figured it couldn't hurt to take out some money out of the Akatsuki funds. While I was at it, I'd have to an easy job to earn some cash, even if it was only a little. It would have to be a job a mere bunshin would be able to accomplish, however.

"When you're done, please put your plates into the sink." I stated, as I stood up and headed towards it to wash my dishes. I felt a wave of exhaustion hit me and I stumbled, slightly. I casually glanced back to see that fortunately, nobody seemed to notice. I had already been tired coming back from Orochimaru's lair. The short nap I took did little to curb my tiredness, and now the Kage bunshins I had created were taking its toll. Before I lost too much chakra and fainted from depletion, I released the clones, and I felt the rush of memories that came with it.

I could already feel the headache coming on. There was so much I needed to do! I inwardly groaned at the amount of work just waiting for me. No wonder Tsunade-shishou hated doing her Hokage duties.

"Would you like some assistance?" Itachi approached me, holding his plate above the sink. I was surprised not only at how courteous he was, but his choice of words. He sounded so formal- distant, even. I smiled but shook my head.

"You can go play with the others, Itachi-kun." I replied, the name sounding so foreign on my tongue, but I was glad I had successfully said it without stuttering. Not a million years would I have imagined ever talking to Itachi Uchiha like this, like I was_ familiar_ with him.

"I insist," He barely hesitated, but the small pause was still perceptible, "Sakuwa-nee."

"Well, if you really want to." I resigned. I scooted over and he pulled over an old stool that had been left unused in the corner. We washed the dishes together- I scrubbed and rinsed each dining utensil while he dried and organized them into the cupboards like they had been, before. When it was all done, I let out a loud sigh and smiled down at the toddler.

"Thank you, Itachi-kun."

He stared at me, contemplating. I rose my eyebrows and was about to ask what was bothering him, but he spoke first.

"I know kaa-san and tou-san awen't on vacation."

I opened my mouth to assure him that _yes, they were on vacation_, but he interrupted once again.

"And I saw you almost fall eawlier. Awe you huwt? How come you wewe able to make bunshins if you wewe huwt?"

I tried not to gape at him, I really did. Did nothing get past this kid? Not only that, but this was the most I've ever heard the child speak. It seemed that Itachi was both bright and curious when he was younger.

"It's complicated, Itachi-kun." I sighed, instinctively reaching out to ruffle his hair. He winced before the tips of my fingers had even brushed his hair, and I pulled back, immediately. "You're too young to understand such things, but you won't have to worry about it- I'll take care of you. _All_ of you guys. Okay?"

It was obvious he wasn't completely satisfied with my vague answer, but he let it go, and nodded his head in affirmation. I smiled.

"You're a smart kid, Itachi-kun, now go and play with the others."

He nodded once again, and quietly left to the room to play with the others. I followed him to the room to check up on the kids- most had resumed whatever they had been doing before dinner, and I quickly headed into the office where I'd found various scrolls and documents.

My bunshin had discovered how these were organized, and even realized many were not readable due to certain seals and even a few genjutsu. I was going to have to break them all and then place them back up again if I were to ever to safely gain any information about how to run this organization.

I snorted out loud.

Me. Running Akatsuki. Single-handedly.

These guys better get better soon. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it up- heck, I haven't even started getting the hang of it!

Suddenly a knocking was heard on the door. Once I answered it, I came face to face- actually, knee to face, ahah- with young Konan.

"Awe we going outside to play yet, Sakuwa-nee?"

Oh, crap! I had completely forgot.

"Sorry, Konan-chan. It's getting late and it's almost bedtime. I promise we'll all go out tomorrow, alright?"

She pouted as she nodded her head grudgingly. I smiled apologetically, hoping my promise was enough. I remember hating the times my parents backed out of plans. I really did want to take them outside, but starting on this work was much more important.

"Go play along, now. I'll come and get you guys in a couple hours so that everybody can get ready for bed."

Once she turned around and left, I closed the door and immediately got back to work. I decided to skim over the records dealing with missions and objectives completed in the past, and tried focusing more on the scrolls and other documents about what was planned- more specifically, things in the near-future. What if the Akatsuki were to meet another missing nin three days from now? Or if one of the members were assigned on a mission that needed to start tomorrow? I put a side the ones with difficult seals and read over the ones without, first.

Several hours later, I finally finished skimming and reading through most of the documents. There were a handful left that I hadn't gotten the chance to even look at, but I really couldn't take anymore reading. I stood up from my desk, somewhat relieved. By some sheer stroke of luck, the only missions that needed to be done were fairly simple- ones I could do myself.

When I arrived at where the children were currently playing, I was surprised to see that I was not the only one thoroughly tired out. Many of them were sitting around, looking a little dazed. Kisame had fallen back asleep, and if I wasn't mistaken, Itachi had started dozing off with his current book lying on his chest.

"It's time for bed, guys." I called out, softly. They looked up at me, and instead of complaining like I'd expected most kids to do, they nodded their heads compliantly. Itachi had immediately woken up by my voice, but Kisame took a little longer. I slowly led them towards the bathroom where I had found new toothbrushes. I guess hygiene was of at least some importance in a missing-nin's life.

Once they had done gurgling and spitting, I led them to a few empty rooms one of my bunshin found and inspected. There were a few rooms that weren't safe for the toddlers, so those I kept off-limits. Because of this, some of the boys had to pair up- at the most, there would be three per room. I decided that Konan, being the only girl, would sleep in my room. I tucked her in first, and then visited the other rooms to find most of them already fast asleep.

Before I left the last room, where Deidara and Sasori slept, I stood by the doorway and allowed myself to simply watch for a few minutes. It was still so unbelievable how the Akatsuki were once these sweet kids. I turned to leave, but Deidara called out to me.

"Sakuwa-nee! Don't leave just yet, I have something fow you!"

I crouched by his side of the bed, and he took out a small, folded piece of paper. Sitting up, he handed it to me with a quickly reddening face.

"A picture? For me?" I asked, smiling appreciatively.

"Of couwse, yeah! You'we the bestest." Deidara replied, smiling shyly.

Opening the folded paper, my small, appreciative smile instantly grew into an overwhelming grin. The picture drawn was of me smiling- well, judging from the long pink strokes coming from what I believed was my head. It seemed one of the coloring utensils had either dulled or broke, because about three quarters of my face was a light, peach color, while the last quarter was more orange if anything.

Nonetheless, I was extremely touched.

"Deidara-kun, you're so sweet." I said, kissing him on the cheek. He grinned up at me, pleased with himself, and I patted him on the head before I bade him a good night.

I had a feeling that maybe this entire ordeal wasn't going to be so bad.

* * *

End of chapter! TBC.

The story really begins! Up until now has basically been the introduction. I mean, this story is crack, but I didn't want to dive into it too,_ too_ fast.

I know Pein is really a body being controlled by Nagato (well, something like that), but in this story, he's just Nagato. This story is pure crack, so I doubt it really needs a thorough explanation on why the technique worked that way. I hope you it enjoy it, despite this.

Once again, I'm sorry for such a late update. I've started growing out of fanfiction, with everything that's been going on with my life. But if you're wondering, I'm still continuing the story!

Please review!


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